With the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) near at hand, readerships from overseas pay heed to its external relation work. For this reason, People's Daily reporter Zhao Shan has had an exclusive interview with Wang Jiarui, head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, in which Wang gave a detailed account of the CPC's external work in recent years.
A political party diplomatic setup with Chinese characteristics
Reporter: First of all, could you give me a brief summary of the general situation in CPC's external relations work at present?
Wang: CPC has all along adhered to its four principles guiding its inter-Party relations with foreign parties, namely, "independence, complete equality, mutual respect and on-interference in each other's internal affairs," and it has actively gone in for developing new-type inter-Party exchanges and cooperative ties with political parties and organization in various countries and regions wishing to have contact with it.
To date, CPC has established and maintains different forms of friendly relations, exchanges and cooperation with more than 400 political parties and political organizations in over 160 countries and regions worldwide. So an all-dimensional, multi-channel political party diplomatic setup with Chinese characteristics, which has an extensive scope and with in-depth layers, has taken shape.
The CPC, in strict compliance with the general purpose of "putting people at first", has made new, good friends and keep old friends to renew friendship. Many foreign political figures and media personalities who were once biased against it have become its friends and forces friendly to China through patient work.
High-level exchange increasingly active in recent years
Reporter: Would you talk about the concrete situation with CPC's external relations since the 16th CPC National Congress held in 2002?
Wang: Since the convocation of the 16th CPC National Congress in late 2002, principal leaders of about 200 foreign political parties have visited China at the head of their delegations, and ranking CPC officials at the Political Bureau membership level have made more than 50 overseas trips apart from meeting with close to 300 foreign party visiting groups. The direct contact and dialogues of Hu Jintao, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, and other senior Party officials have played an irreplaceable role of guidance for the development of party-to-party and state-to-state ties.
CPC has forges ties with some 100 political parties in more than 30 countries in the past five years, and it has made more new friends in the South Pacific Islands, the Middle-East region and the Caribbean region in Central America.
Meanwhile, new advances have been made in its ties with various Communist Parties, workers' parties, socialist parties, as well as labor parties and conservative parties, and new extension is also attained in its relations with main party groups of the European parliament and political parties' international organizations.
With regard to the contents for exchanges, there are not only visits, study tours, theoretical researches, political dialogues, symposiums or seminars on economic and cultural cooperation, but also explorations for the national governance and policy making, solution of regional or global issues and discussions on new means of spurring state-to-state ties and new ways to enhance Party building.
Moreover, CPC has taken an active part in multilateral activities, including attending as guests of honor at foreign Party congresses and party organs festivals. It hosted the Third International Conference of Asia Political Parties (ICAPP) in September 2004 with the participation of more than 80 political parties. It is estimated that CPC has sent overseas more than 600 delegations, whereas approximately 1,200 foreign political party groups have come to visit China over the past five years.
Adherence to serving China's overall diplomatic goal
Reporter: As we have just heard about a vigorous momentum of CPC's external relations work, then what is the objective and significance of CPC's external ties?
Wang: CPC's external relations work has always been a vital, important part of the CPC's cause. As a party in power, CPC holds that its external work is a crucial part of the overall national diplomacy, which has all along served the objective of the overall national diplomacy and is dedicated to serving the overal external and internal work.
The external relations work represents not only an important platform for the CPC to observe, understand and move toward the outside world, but also a crucial showcase for international community to see and recognize the fine image of CPC and be acquainted with new findings for its outlook on scientific development and the related concept on a harmonious development.
Besides, CPC's external work also provides an intellectual support for the Party Central Committee to analyze and judge vital global issues and its governance of the Party and the state. By being actively involved in major diplomatic procedures to tap unique advantages with the "all-weather dialogues", "soft diplomacy" and "human pulse ties," we should actively cultivate friendship to exchange ideas and coordinate from all sides so as to find an appropriate, right path for settlement of knotty problems.
Furthermore, CPC's external work has also explored into how to find a link of service for domestic reform and development with respect to such strategies as ongoing drives to coordinate the development of the vast western China region, the revitalization of rusty northeast old industrial base, the rise of central China region, and support to the eastern coastal area in taking the lead in national development, etc.
Going on spurring the development of a harmonious world
Reporter: With the 17th CPC National Congress drawing near, will you please tell me how you anticipate the prospects of CPC's external relations?
Wang: The CPC's external work will continue to develop in a in-depth, penetrating way in the years ahead but will also face both a host of opportunities and challenges. As the 17th Party congress approaching, new laws, new experiences and new features for its external work after the 16th Party Congress will be summed up in a scientific way; new circumstances, new environment and new opportunities will analyzed conscientiously; and still more active efforts will be made to boost the building of a harmonious society and open up a new situation for the cause of socialism at home, and to promote peace, development and the progressive cause of the humankind for promoting the construction of a harmonious world.
By People's Daily Online
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